[freedumb2003]

Am I a literary dunce for asking “who?”

[B-Chan]

He was a figure in literary circles, famous among readers of American fiction of the sort that plan their lives by the New York Times Sunday Review of Books, but a genuine genius (a summa and a MacArthur Fellow) and, from what I've read of him, a fairly decent and perceptive guy. I never read his works myself (not my cup of tea; I'm a Dostoevsky man) but he was undoubtedly a talent.

He was also a person who died of a disease that kills by inches: clinical depression. As a sufferer myself, I can easily imagine what this poor soul must have endured before he finally broke. Despite his suicide, I hope in the justice and mercy of God for the eternal destiny of his soul.

Depression KILLS PEOPLE, folks. It's not a character flaw or a sign of weakness — it's a neurological disease. People suffering from depression deserve your concern and care; if you know a person suffering the signs of depression, please see to it that they receive the medical attention they need and the personal support you can give them.